Process of making alloy steel



Patented July 28, i 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,547,927 PATENT OFFICE.

ALAN KISSOCK, or LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, Assrenon 'ro' cam. M. LOEIB, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF IQLAKI NG ALLOY STEEL.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALAN Krssoox, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have made a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Making Alloy Steel, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a process of making alloy steel, and the objects and advantages thereof will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practice with the invention.

The invention consists in the novel steps and processes herein described.

In my oopending application Ser. No. 7 03,533 I have described and claimed a process whereby I have efiected a desired definite chemical combination between certain of the naturally occurring constituents of many molybdenum ores, thereby producin molybdates of the general formula, 115M00 R O 3MoO and more especially an iron molybdate or molybdates. Dependent upon the type of steel into which it may be introduced, such an iron molybdate may be a chemically precipitated powder product, containing substantially only the elements iron, molybdenum and oxygen; or it may be a sintered product, directly from the roasting operation, and in addition to iron, molybdenum and oxygen may contain certain of the foreign constituents of the ore.

The present invention provides a process of alloying steel, and more especially alloying steel with such a-chemically combined molybdenum, without requiring any preliminary metallurgical operation to prepare the molybdenum for the alloying process. An example of the usual preliminary metallurgical operations referred to is the reduction of the molybdenum ore to what is known as the ferro state, that is, making a mixture of molybdenum andiron, both being usually included in relatively large pro portions, thereby to prepare the molybdenum for the process of alloying in the steel-making furnace, and during the steel-making operation. Such a mixture of the two metals is known asv ferro-molybdenum.

The invention is further directed to providing .a process whereby steel may be alloyed with molybdenum directly from a molybdate without presenting to the steel Application filed May 21, 1924. Serial No. 714,769.

furnace or its contents an irreducible component or material, which is frequently perniciously chemically active, and thereby also avoiding the creation of a slag.

The invention is further directed to providing a process especially advantageous for the acid open-hearth furnace, for crucible steel making, and for other processes wherein the making of slag, or the releasing from the alloyingmaterial of an active chemical component or constituent, which might deleteriously affect the apparatus or the product, is undesirable or detrimental.

Bymy process I introduce into the steel- .making furnace a molybdenum chemical compound, all, or all the important, ingredients or elements of which'are capable of combining with the steel then in the furnace.

In practicing my process ferric molybdate, or other iron molybdate, is introduced into the steel-making furnace at some time during the steel-making operation. Under usual steel making conditions, the complete reduction of the molybdate or molybdenum chemical compound, and its incorporation into the steel as an alloy, requires several hours, and it is preferable to add or insert the molybdate in the early stages of the heat of steel.

Both constituents of the compound are dissociated from their chemical combination, and are capable of being reduced to their respective metallic states, namely, iron and molybdenum (by the carbon or some other element or materials ordinarily present in the steel or steel furnace). These component elements may, and preferably do, practically completely unite with and are entirely absorbed by the steel, and there is no formation at least to any material degree of any interfering slag or other objectionable or with some acid constituent resent in the furnace. In the case of the acid open-hearth steel process, this acid constituent with which the nonreducible basic alkaline component-must unite to form a slag is often the lining of the furnace itself, which is thereby corroded and requires replacement. The crucible steel process is essentially a melting, and not a refining process and the production of any slag must be avoided.

In distinction to this, iron molybdate, both components of which are not only capable of reduction under a steel furnace conditions, but both elements of which may also be absorbed or alloyed with the steel itself, offers a molybdenum compound entirely suitable for all steel making processes, and is entirely free from the disadvantages enumerated. The costly preliminary or outside reduction of a molybdenum ore to what is commonly known as a ferro alloy, and the undesirable chemical action of other molybdenum compounds, is avoided.

It will be understood that there may be departures from the details of the practice of my invention, as herein described, without departing from the principles thereof and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is .1. The process of making molybdenum steel comprising adding iron molybdate directly to the steel furnace during the process of making the steel, whereby the iron the steel bath, no other reducing agent being added to effect such reduction.

2. The process of making molybdenum steel comprising adding a charge consisting of substantially pure iron molybdate, with no other reacting material therein, directly to the steel furnace during the process of making the steel whereby the iron molybdate is reduced by the steel itself without the use of any other reducing agent.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALAN KISSOCK.

molybdate is reduced by the constituents of I 

